1. Field of the Invention
The invention of the present application relates generally to gas-solid separators and, more particularly, to such a gas-solid separator for use on the intake of an engine turbocharger.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Engine turbochargers must, of necessity, include an air cleaner for separating solid particles from the air prior to feeding the air into the engine. Otherwise, the solid particles (e.g., dust) damage the components of the engine, such as the engine pistons and piston rings.
The previously known turbocharger air cleaners typically comprise a precleaner and final filter assembly. In the precleaner a plurality of so-called "cyclone tubes" are disposed within the air inlet of the turbocharger. Entry vanes in the cyclone tubes cause the air to rotate as it passes through the tubes so that, due to centrifugal force, the larger solid particles contained within the air migrate to the outer wall of the cyclone tubes. The core of air in the center of the cyclone tube is relatively clean and this clean air core passes through a smaller diameter central tube through the final filter assembly and to the engine turbocharger. The final filter assembly is of more or less conventional construction and includes a filter media between the precleaner and the engine turbocharger designed to filter the smaller diameter solid particles still remaining in the air.
These previously known engine turbocharger air cleaners, however, suffer many disadvantages unknown to the present invention. One such disadvantage is that the filter media within the final filter assembly must be periodically cleaned or replaced.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known air cleaning systems is that the outer annular layer of solid particle-laden air in the cyclone tubes of the precleaner is channeled out through a dirt discharge passage by means of electric motor driven scavenger air pumps. These electric air pumps, however, can fail which results in the reduction of the air cleaning efficiency of the precleaner.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known turbocharger air cleaners is that such air cleaners are relatively expensive to construct.